Curiosity about people: the development of a social curiosity measure in adults

Curiosity refers to the desire for acquiring new information. The aim of this study was to develop a questionnaire to assess social curiosity, that is, interest in how other people think, feel, and behave. The questionnaire was administered to 312 participants. Factor analyses of the 10-item Social Curiosity Scale (SCS) yielded 2 factors: General Social Curiosity and Covert Social Curiosity. Evidence of convergent validity was provided by moderately high correlations of the SCS with other measures of curiosity and self-perceived curiosity, whereas discriminant validity was demonstrated by low correlations of the SCS with other personality traits, such as neuroticism and agreeableness. Of interest, social interaction anxiety was observed to facilitate covert social curiosity while inhibiting general social curiosity.     

Interesting Things and Curious People: Exploration and Engagement as Transient States and Enduring Strengths

Curiosity, interest, and intrinsic motivation are critical to the development of competence, knowledge, and expertise. Without a mechanism of intrinsic motivation, people would rarely explore new things, learn for its own sake, or engage with uncertain tasks despite feelings of confusion and anxiety. This article explores two sides of interest: momentary feelings (the emotion of interest) and enduring traits (the character strength of curiosity). Recent theories in emotion psychology can explain why and when people experience feelings of interest; recent research has illuminated the role of curiosity in cultivating knowledge, meaning in life, close relationships, and physical and mental resilience. The problem for future research – and for social and personality psychology more generally – is how to bridge the dynamics of everyday experience with stable, lifespan aspects of personality.     

The Trait of Curiosity as a Predictor of Emotional Intelligence1

This study examined the relationship between curiosity and emotional intelligence (EI) in a sample of graduate and undergraduate students in business administration courses (N = 312). To determine the nature of this relationship, curiosity was assessed using the Melbourne Curiosity Index (MCI; Naylor, 1981 ) and the Curiosity and Exploration Inventory (CEI; Kashdan, Rose, & Fincham, 2004 ). Emotional intelligence was measured using the Trait Meta‐Mood Scale (TMMS; Salovey, Mayer, Goldman, Turvey, & Palfai, 1995 ). The results indicate that there is a significant relationship between trait curiosity and emotional intelligence. Curiosity [has been] conceptualized as a positive emotional‐motivation system associated with the recognition, pursuit, and self‐regulation of novelty and challenge. ( Kashdan, Rose, & Fincham, 2004 , p. 291)     

The latent structure of trait curiosity: evidence for interest and deprivation curiosity dimensions

To evaluate Litman and Jimerson's (2004) Interest/Deprivation (I/D) model of curiosity, 355 students (269 women, 86 men) responded to 6 trait curiosity measures including the Curiosity/Interest in the World scale (C/IW; Peterson & Seligman, 2004), the Curiosity and Exploration Inventory (CEI; Kashdan, Rose, & Fincham, 2004), the Perceptual Curiosity scale (PC; Collins, Litman, & Spielberger, 2004), the Epistemic Curiosity scale (EC; Litman & Spielberger, 2003), and the Curiosity as a Feeling-of-Deprivation scales (CFD; Litman & Jimerson, 2004). Consistent with expectations, the results of confirmatory factor analyses demonstrated that the C/IW, CEI, PC, EC scales defined an Interest (I) curiosity factor, whereas the CFD scales formed a Deprivation (D) curiosity factor. However, as compared to the other interest-based curiosity measures, one of the EC subscales was found to be less differentiated from the CFD scales, presumably because these instruments assess overlapping aspects of Berlyne's (1954) concept of epistemic curiosity. The results of this study indicated that I and D curiosity are related but differentiated curiosity dimensions, providing evidence for the validity of the I/D model.     

母亲教养方式及其相关因素同幼儿好奇心关系的研究

研究以217名幼儿园儿童及其母亲为研究对象,以《母亲教养方式问卷》和自编《3—6岁儿童好奇心教师评定问卷》为工具,探讨了母亲教养方式及其相关因素与幼儿好奇心之间的关系。结果表明,不一致的母亲教养方式对幼儿好奇心有不利影响,放任的母亲教养方式下幼儿探索持久性较差;母亲受教育程度和生育年龄对幼儿好奇心的间接效应存在,但不显著。     

The measurement of curiosity as a feeling of deprivation

Curiosity as a feeling of deprivation (CFD) reflects feelings of uncertainty and tension that motivate information-seeking and problem-solving behavior. Twenty-seven CFD items were administered to 321 participants (248 women, 73 men) along with other measures of curiosity and other personality traits such as anxiety, anger, and depression. Factor analyses of the CFD items identified 3 factors from which 5-item subscales were developed: (a) a need to feel competent, (b) intolerance experienced when information is inaccessible or inadequate, and (c) a sense of urgency to solve problems. Moderately high correlations of the CFD scales with other measures of curiosity provided evidence of convergent validity, whereas divergent validity was demonstrated by minimal correlations of the CFD scales with the other personality traits.     

3～6岁幼儿好奇心结构探索与验证性因子分析

以幼儿园3～6岁幼儿为对象,通过80名幼儿教师对480名幼儿好奇心行为特征描述的开放式问卷调查,编制出60个项目的初始问卷,对500名幼儿的初测结果进行探索性因子分析后,形成了33个项目的正式问卷,对1000名幼儿的评价结果进行验证性因子分析,结果表明:教师评价的3～6岁幼儿好奇心结构包括敏感、对未知事物的关注、好问、喜欢摆弄、探索持久和好奇体验6个因子。     

States of curiosity and interest enhance memory differently in adolescents and in children

Curiosity – broadly defined as the desire to acquire new information – enhances learning and memory in adults. In addition, interest in the information (i.e., when the information is processed) can also facilitate later memory. To date, it is not known how states of pre‐information curiosity and post‐information interest enhance memory in childhood and adolescence. We used a trivia paradigm in which children and adolescents (N = 60, 10–14 years) encoded trivia questions and answers associated with high or low curiosity. States of high pre‐answer curiosity enhanced later memory for trivia answers in both children and adolescents. However, higher positive post‐answer interest enhanced memory for trivia answers beyond the effects of curiosity more strongly in adolescents than in children. These results suggest that curiosity and interest have positive effects on learning and memory in childhood and adolescence, but might need to be harnessed in differential ways across child development to optimize learning.     

The Trait of Curiosity as a Predictor of Emotional Intelligence

This study examined the relationship between curiosity and emotional intelligence (EI) in a sample of graduate and undergraduate business administration students. Curiosity was assessed using the Melbourne Curiosity Inventory ( Naylor, 1981 ) and the Curiosity and Exploration Inventory ( Kashdan, Rose, & Fincham, 2004 ), and EI was measured using the Trait Meta-Mood Scale (TMMS; Salovey, Mayer, Goldman, Turvey, & Palfai, 1995 ). Results indicate a significant relationship between trait curiosity and EI. Relationships between the subscales of the 3 measures are also reported. Stepwise regression analysis indicates that trait curiosity and absorption curiosity were the best predictors of total EI; while absorption curiosity was the best predictor of attention to emotions, clarity of emotions, and repair of emotions.

Curiosity [has been] conceptualized as a positive emotional-motivation system associated with the recognition, pursuit, and self-regulation of novelty and challenge. ( Kashdan, Rose, & Fincham, 2004 , p. 291)

     

Curiosity and exploration: facilitating positive subjective experiences and personal growth opportunities

In an effort to expand research on curiosity, we elaborate on a theoretical model that informs research on the design of a new measure and the nomological network of curiosity. Curiosity was conceptualized as a positive emotional-motivational system associated with the recognition, pursuit, and self-regulation of novelty and challenge. Using 5 independent samples, we developed the Curiosity and Exploration Inventory (CEI) comprising 2 dimensions: exploration (appetitive strivings for novelty and challenge) and absorption (full engagement in specific activities). The CEI has good psychometric properties, is relatively unaffected by socially desirable responding, is relatively independent from positive affect, and has a nomological network consistent with our theoretical framework. Predicated on our personal growth facilitation model, we discuss the potential role of curiosity in advancing understanding of various psychological phenomena.     

Painting with broad strokes: Happiness and the malleability of event memory

The present study investigated how knowledge-gaps, measured by feeling-of-knowing, and individual differences in epistemic curiosity contribute to the arousal of state curiosity and exploratory behaviour for 265 (210 women, 55 men) university students. Participants read 12 general knowledge questions, reported the answer was either known (“I Know”), on the tip-of-the-tongue (“TOT”), or unknown (“Don't Know”), and indicated how curious they were to see each answer, after which they could view any answers they wanted. Participants also responded to the Epistemic Curiosity (EC) and Curiosity as a Feeling-of-Deprivation (CFD) scales. “TOT” was associated with the smallest knowledge-gap, most curiosity and exploration, and feelings of uncertainty and tension as measured by the CFD scale. “Don't Know” corresponded with the largest knowledge-gap, less curiosity and exploration, and positive feelings of interest as measured by the EC scale. “I Know” states, which reflected the absence of a knowledge-gap, involved the least curiosity and exploration.     

幼儿好奇心结构教师评价模型验证性因子分析

在参考已有文献和进行开放式问卷调查的基础上,编制幼儿好奇心教师评定问卷,并以此问卷调查了929名幼儿,运用探索性因子分析和验证性因子分析方法探讨幼儿好奇心结构教师评价模型,结果表明,教师评价幼儿好奇心时存在一个由好问、喜欢摆弄、敏感、关注未知、探索持久、好奇体验以及反应性和探究的主动性等因子构成的三阶结构。     

The curiosity and exploration inventory-II: Development, factor structure, and psychometrics

Given curiosity’s fundamental role in motivation, learning, and well-being, we sought to refine the measurement of trait curiosity with an improved version of the Curiosity and Exploration Inventory (CEI; [Kashdan, T. B., Rose, P., & Fincham, F. D. (2004). Curiosity and exploration: Facilitating positive subjective experiences and personal growth opportunities. Journal of Personality Assessment, 82, 291–305]). A preliminary pool of 36 items was administered to 311 undergraduate students, who also completed measures of emotion, emotion regulation, personality, and well-being. Factor analyses indicated a two-factor model—motivation to seek out knowledge and new experiences (Stretching; five items) and a willingness to embrace the novel, uncertain, and unpredictable nature of everyday life (Embracing; five items). In two additional samples (ns = 150 and 119), we cross-validated this factor structure and provided initial evidence for construct validity. This includes positive correlations with personal growth, openness to experience, autonomy, purpose in life, self-acceptance, psychological flexibility, positive affect, and positive social relations, among others. Applying item response theory (IRT) to these samples (n = 578), we showed that the items have good discrimination and a desirable breadth of difficulty. The item information functions and test information function were centered near zero, indicating that the scale assesses the mid-range of the latent curiosity trait most reliably. The findings thus far provide good evidence for the psychometric properties of the 10-item CEI-II.     

Toward a theory of intrinsically motivating instruction

First, a number of previous theories of intrinsic motivation are reviewed. Then, several studies of highly motivating computer games are described. These studies focus on what makes the games fun, not on what makes them educational. Finally, with this background, a rudimentary theory of intrinsically motivating instruction is developed, based on three categories: challenge, fantasy, and curiosity. Challenge is hypothesized to depend on goals with uncertain outcomes. Several ways of making outcomes uncertain are discussed, including variable difficulty level, multiple level goals, hidden information, and randomness. Fantasy is claimed to have both cognitive and emotional advantages in designing instructional environments. A distinction is made between extrinsic fantasies that depend only weakly on the skill used in a game, and intrinsic fantasies that are intimately related to the use of the skill. Curiosity is separated into sensory and cognitive components, and it is suggested that cognitive curiosity can be aroused by making learners believe their knowledge structures are incomplete, inconsistent, or unparsimonious.     

好奇心的机制及作用

作为一种常见的心理状态和人格特质, 好奇心是认知心理学研究领域中的重要主题。大脑多个脑区的分工和协同作用, 使个体形成了产生与评估预测误差、触发与缓解好奇心以及产生惊奇与新预测误差的认知过程。这些认知过程能够减少对事物和环境的预测误差与信息差距, 消除对事物的不确定性。好奇心在个体终生发展过程中, 对促进认知功能, 保持心理和身体健康有积极的作用。未来研究可以从跨物种、跨学科和多领域交叉的角度切入, 推动好奇心主题研究的深入、研究手段的发展以及研究成果的应用。     

Boredom at work: towards a dynamic spillover model of need satisfaction,work motivation,and work-related boredom

Boredom occurs regularly at work and can have negative consequences. This study aimed to increase insight in the antecedents and processes underlying the development of work-related boredom by (a) examining whether work-related need satisfaction and the quality-of-work motivation mediate the associations between the work characteristics defined in the Job Characteristics Model and work-related boredom, (b) investigating if this motivational process operates both on an “enduring,” between-person level and a daily within-person level, and (c) examining if and how daily experiences of work-related boredom spill over to the next day. Data among employees were collected in a cross-sectional study (N = 115) and a 5-day daily diary study (N = 90). Study 1 results showed that need satisfaction and quality-of-work motivation mediated the association between work characteristics and work-related boredom. This motivational process was also found on a day-to-day basis in Study 2. This study further revealed that work-related boredom spills over to the next day through its associations with increased negative work attitudes and decreased intrinsic motivation. These findings provide insight in the process by which momentary experiences of boredom at work may develop into a more enduring experience of work-related boredom.     

The Wick in the Candle of Learning: Epistemic Curiosity Activates Reward Circuitry and Enhances Memory

ABSTRACT— Curiosity has been described as a desire for learning and knowledge, but its underlying mechanisms are not well understood. We scanned subjects with functional magnetic resonance imaging while they read trivia questions. The level of curiosity when reading questions was correlated with activity in caudate regions previously suggested to be involved in anticipated reward. This finding led to a behavioral study, which showed that subjects spent more scarce resources (either limited tokens or waiting time) to find out answers when they were more curious. The functional imaging also showed that curiosity increased activity in memory areas when subjects guessed incorrectly, which suggests that curiosity may enhance memory for surprising new information. This prediction about memory enhancement was confirmed in a behavioral study: Higher curiosity in an initial session was correlated with better recall of surprising answers 1 to 2 weeks later.     

Influencing prior knowledge through a short reading impacts curiosity and learning

Curiosity predicts memory performance and it is influenced by prior knowledge. Reading a well-organized text can increase curiosity in a classroom setting, however it is not clear if reading a short text written in an encyclopedic style can increase curiosity and learning without explicit educational goals. We presented participants with a short text and examined if questions related to this reading could elicit higher curiosity ratings and better recall in a thematized version of the trivia task. In the first experiment, participants subjectively judged their prior knowledge of trivia questions. The curiosity of the participants was not influenced by the reading, but the memory effect of curiosity was amplified for the questions related to it. In the second experiment, we objectively verified whether the participants knew the answers. The curiosity ratings were higher for the questions related to the reading, but only the curiosity ratings influenced recall performance. These results show that prior knowledge induced by reading can have an effect on curiosity and learning, but it depends on how this knowledge is assessed by the learner.     

幼儿好奇心结构的探索性因素分析

幼儿好奇心结构的研究是幼儿好奇心发展研究的基础。根据已有的研究文献和对教师的开放式问卷调查,编制了幼儿好奇心发展教师问卷,对3-5岁幼儿的教师进行问卷调查,在此基础上进行探索性因素分析,结果表明,幼儿好奇心主要由敏感、观察、兴趣、探索、提问、解决问题、幻想、专注等8个因素构成。     

从好奇发生到满足：好奇反馈循环的神经生理机制

好奇是驱动信息寻求行为最主要的内部动机。从感知信息缺口使好奇发生,到对控制进行价值评估,信息寻求行为发生,再到目标信息获得使好奇满足,每一环节都受到当前信息输入和上一环节反馈输出的影响,它们构成了一个反馈循环。该循环还嵌入在个体的终生发展过程中,随着经验积累和脑的发育不断变化。好奇反馈循环模型融入了控制的期望价值模型和贝叶斯强化学习框架,整合了来自监控系统、奖赏系统、控制系统等多个脑功能系统的研究证据,为理解好奇的神经生理机制提供了新思路。